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Cuando hace unos meses probamos una versión del Citroën C5, me quedaba con la pena de probarlo con cambio automático y una motorización a punto de desaparecer por la llegada de los nuevos motores HDi, pero nos quedaba pendiente una prueba que no podíamos dejar pasar (y no será el único motor V6 que pase a corto plazo por nuestras manos), con este motor se situa al máximo nivel esta berlina francesa y hace que cobre más sentido al spot de “carácter alemán, espíritu francés”.

Como ingredientes tenemos un motor de última generación V6 HDi de tres litros y una potencia de 240 CV, un aspecto exterior con más cromados con unas llamativas llantas de 19 pulgadas, y un interior de gran calidad donde abunda el tapizado en cuero mezclado con un equipamiento muy completo, todo ello por un precio que ronda los 40.000 euros, un precio imbatible si lo comparamos con cualquier berlina premium y más si tenemos en cuenta la cantidad de caballos bajo el capó.

Con esto como base, el Citroën C5 equipado con este nuevo propulsor diesel era un modelo muy interesante para probar, y más partiendo como base que ya habíamos visto otro C5, con otro nivel de equipamiento, para poder ver mejor hasta donde llega la berlina media de Citroën.

Motor y prestaciones

La joya de este Citroën C5 es su motor de tres litros V6 HDi y 240 CV unido a un cambio automático de seis relaciones, este motor es el más potente montando por un modelo Citroën en su historia, y llega en sustitución del anterior bloque 2.7 HDi de 204 CV. Este nuevo motor ha sido desarrollado entre el Grupo PSA y Jaguar-Land Rover, por eso lo comparte con modelos como el Jaguar XF Diesel o dentro de la propia casa el Citroën C6 y el Peugeot 407 Coupé.

Si el anterior motor V6 ya era gozada, este nuevo motor no se queda atrás, con un par motor de 450 Nm desde las 1.600 r.p.m. hasta las 3.600, este impresionante par unido a sus dos turbos hace que la respuesta sea óptima a cualquier régimen. Puesto que a bajas vueltas sopla un primer turbo y si pasamos las 2.800 r.p.m. empieza a funcionar un segundo turbo para mantener la potencia y la aceleración.

Esto se traduce en una aceleración según el fabricante de 0 a 100 km/h en 7,9 segundos y alcanza los 243 km/h, unas prestaciones más que decentes para una berlina. Este nuevo motor cumple además con la nueva normativa Euro V al mantener las emisiones en un nivel bastante bajo, 195 g/km, además del alternador que recupera energía en las deceleraciones y frenadas optimizando de esta manera el consumo de energía.

Ahora que ya conocemos un poco más el motor del C5, nos toca meternos en comportamiento, este modelo pese a lo que pueda parecer no busca sensaciones deportivas, es una berlina y no cuenta con la suspensión ni con una respuesta con un carácter deportivo, desde que nos pusimos al volante es más bien un vehículo burgués con mucho carácter, pero lo blanda que llega a resultar su suspensión (incluso en modo Sport) no da confianza como para ofrecernos un carácter deportivo, tampoco es lo que se busca.

El funcionamiento del motor es en todo momento muy suave, y se nota que está bajo el motor un V6. Los caballos hacen que tenga una muy buena aceleración y no le tenga miedo a los adelantamientos y recuperaciones. Esto unido al tarado de su suspensión Hidractiva III hace que sea un vehículo ideal para viajar y con unas prestaciones a la altura del 3.0 TDI alemán o los equivalentes.

Como comentaba al principio, la suspensión es la tradicional Hidractiva III de Citroën, que cuenta con regulación en altura, que entre otras ventajas, nos permite pasar por zonas complicadas con algo más de seguridad y son tocar en los bajos.

La suavidad de marcha de esta suspensión está fuera de duda, haciendo que el coche se deslice de una manera muy suave sobre el asfalto. Pero si queremos ir algo más rápidos y no queremos que la suspensión sea tan blanda, disponemos del modo sport que limita el deslizamiento de la suspensión mejorando notablemente el aplomo del vehículo en curvas seguidas, o en autopista incluso si hay baches o irregularidades.

Tampoco podemos olvidarnos del cambio, que obligatoriamente va asociado con este motor un cambio automático de seis relaciones (sin levas) y con un modo sport y nieve. El modo sport alarga más las marchas y consigue una respuesta más rápida del cambio y el modo nieve nos ayuda en situaciones de baja adherencia a arrancar sin dificultades. Con el cambio en modo sport y la suspensión igual practicando una conducción deportiva, el C5 mantiene el tipo, si bien se nota que no es su cometido.

La dirección con un tacto demasiado asistido, nos vuelve a dejar claro que no está diseñado para sensaciones deportivas, y para poder parar el este coche de casi cinco metros con un potente motor lleva cuatros frenos de disco, los delanteros de 340 mm lo que se traduce en un control total sobre la frenada del C5, que se detiene sin problemas.

Para finalizar nos queda el apartado de consumos, que si tenemos en cuenta la potencia del motor no son especialmente bajos, pero hay que destacar que en relación al anterior bloque V6 han conseguido reducir en un 15% la media de consumo. En autopista a velocidad legal tuvimos un consumo medio de 7 litros a los 100km, y durante la prueba en recorrido por ciudad y carretera rondó los 8,3 litros de media. El consumo no está nada mal si tenemos en cuenta la potencia, medidas, y sus llantas de 19 ” que tampoco ayudaban especialmente a reducir los consumos.

Por tanto en el apartado dinámico es un vehículo muy bueno, un producto al que no nos tiene acostumbrado Citroën y que le planta cara en prestaciones a la competencia alemana, con unas buenas prestaciones, y para aquella gente que viaja mucho y quiere llevar un vehículo potente y a su vez muy cómodo este C5 HDi V6 de 240 CV es un buen candidato.

En la segunda parte nos toca hablar del diseño del Citroën C5, muchas de las cosas ya las comentamos en la anterior prueba del C5, pero esta unidad de 240 CV contaba con elementos propios y acabados interiores diferentes que comentaremos, así como la buena calidad de realización y su habitabilidad.

Fotos | David Taboada

Wandering through the market looking for something new and interesting one day, I was immediately captivated by a game called ‘Soccer Multiplayer.’ The developers took a real gamble not actually naming the game and won. Soccer. Multiplayer. It’s a game. Jackpot! I like all three of those things, and with it being free and only 513kb I couldn’t pass it up.

The actual game is easy to learn, but hard to master. It has a local mode for taking turns on your phone playing against friends, and also an online multiplayer option. The game play is just like paper soccer only digital, and it’s a ten minute battle to the first score. The outcome of the game immediately reflects in your record and ranking, helping keep the competitive drive alive.

Another plus for the game is the chat and friend features. While playing you can open chats and befriend those you’ve competed against. The game developer has also mentioned that the ability to search for friends is an update being worked on.

For all the positive that can be said for this game’s simple, direct execution, it also can leave you wanting more. Soccer Multiplayer is sorely missing any sounds or music and is truly underwhelming graphically. While it was kind of the developers to give you the option of customizing your colors and field, it just isn’t enough to convince me that the developers were concerned with anything besides the game being compact and functional.

The Goods

• Chat option is always great to have
• Being able to save friends is awesome
• Small file size and quick game play

Needs Improvement

• Group chat outside of games would be greatest
• Single player mode so you can practice on your owners
• Music or sounds listening to the vibrations gets annoying

Final Verdict:
This game is addictive and doesn’t tax your phone’s memory. It brings back fond memories of paper football, paper soccer, dots, and tic-tac-toe. Soccer Multiplayer is definitely worth a download.

Note: This review was submitted by Darius Bazemore as part of our app review contest.

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Amazon lacks the one thing that most retail companies have, and that is a brick and mortar outlet. Some would say that having only an online store is an advantage, but that’s not necessarily the case when a company starts selling its own products, like the Kindle. Barnes & Noble stumbled out of the gate getting its own e-book reader, the Nook, into its retail stores, but it can be found there now by consumers who might want to touch one before buying it. There’s also a distribution deal with Best Buy to sell the Nook. Consumers like to try e-book readers prior to purchase, and that may be the driver behind the Amazon deal with Target, to sell the Kindle in select Target stores.

According to Target, the Kindle will initially be available in Minneapolis and stores in Florida, to be followed with more Target outlets selling the Kindle later.  The restricted roll-out may be a test by Target to gauge sales potential prior to the full launch, but Target has not stated that is the case.

It will be interesting to see how the general public reacts to the e-book reader. Amazon has likely sold quite a few Kindles online, but there are no hard numbers to indicate if the non-techie community is buying them. Having the Kindle in a mass market retailer like Target should give mainstream consumers good exposure to the technology, perhaps for the first time for many of them. It will be telling to see how the general public reacts to such hands-on exposure.

Related research on GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

Irrational Exuberance Over E-Books?

We asked you to tell us about your favorite racing games for Android. And while the results weren’t as numerous as other categories, there were two clear winners. We’ll take a look at them after the break.

read more

Earlier today, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Blanche Lincoln’s (D-AR) derivatives bill passed through committee. The vote was on mostly partisan lines, as Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) was the lone Republican vote in favor. Does this indicate that he might also be willing to cross the aisle and vote for the Banking Committee’s broader financial reform package that Democrats support? Not just yet.

In a memo addressing this question, Grassley says that he supported the derivatives bill because, while not perfect, he thinks it is on the right track. Yet, regarding the broader reform legislation, he says:

My vote for this important reform of the derivatives market doesn’t mean I’ll be able to support the larger financial reform bill on the Senate floor. The derivatives piece is significant, but that larger bill has a number of flaws that need to be resolved before I’d support it. Again, I hope the majority leadership of the Senate allows the kind of debate, negotiation and amendment process needed to make those kinds of changes so that representative government can work as it should.

Earlier today, new reports indicated that a bipartisan bill may be close. It still looks like such an effort will be necessary, because no Republican has offered to support the bill and end the threat of filibuster. The statement above makes clear that Grassley’s vote today doesn’t indicate that he intends to be that rebel swing vote.

This strategy makes sense in a political context. Grassley is from Iowa and the agricultural industry strongly supports reducing Wall Street’s influence on derivatives. Yet, Grassley clearly has no intention of going against the rest of his party and supporting the broader bill in its current form.

The terrible screen on the original Game Boy keeps it from being a retro device I want to use. But this mod, which crams a GBA screen inside, made me fall in love all over again. [Flickr via Oh Gizmo!] More »

Filed under: Spy Photos, Convertible, Performance, Europe, Aston Martin

Or is that a V12 Vantage? Looking at the pics of this Aston Martin test car snapped by our crack team of spies, it’s tough to say if we’re looking at a refreshed V8-powered Vantage Roadster, or what might in fact be a V12 Vantage Roadster. Either way, we dig the new wheels.

If you tiptoe through the gallery, you’re sure to notice what’s new. Namely, and aside from the gray carbon-look wheels, a carbon fiber front splitter and a rear carbon fiber diffuser. Whatever the engine, the Aston Martin Vantage has been one of the flat out sexiest cars available since it debuted in 2005 – but that doesn’t mean it’s not getting long in the tooth. So Aston very well might be performing a mild mid-cycle refresh of their baby coupe and convertible by grafting on the ground effects from the 510 horsepower V12 Vantage.

Or, alternatively, and hey-why-not, this could in fact be an all new V12 Vantage Roadster. All that’s missing from the V12 coupe is the wildly louvered/scalloped hood. We already know how good the 4.7-liter V8 sounds when the Vantage’s top is dropped. We can hardly imagine how breathtaking the big 6.0-liter V12 would sound crammed into the Vantage’s teeny engine bay while the wind whistles through our hair. Whatever this test mule turns out to be, we’ll keep you posted.

Spy Shots: Facelifted 2011 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Monday, Senators Graham (R-SC), Kerry (D-MA), and Lieberman (I-CT) will launch the bipartisan climate and clean energy jobs bill.  I’m quite certain there will be something in it to dissatisfy everyone.

On the other hand, has Congress ever passed a significant bill that didn’t dissatisfy everyone, particularly on the environment?  We haven’t had a major piece of clean air legislation for almost exactly two decades now.  The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (EPA history here), which ultimately passed by large margins, put in place a cap-and-trade system for acid rain pollution, but didn’t end the grandfathering of old coal plants.  And so they burn on.

No bill that could pass Congress right now or in the immediate future would be sufficient to put us on the path to stabilizing the world at 2°C. We simply aren’t sufficiently desperate to do what is needed, which is nonstop deployment of a staggering amount of low-carbon energy, including efficiency, for the rest of the century.

And so my criteria for judging the bill focuses on whether it will create the conditions that will allow more desperate policy makers in the not-too-distant future to have a realistic chance of getting on the necessary path.  My new book Straight Up includes one essay on the House’s astonishing yet dissatisfying achievement in passing the Waxman-Markey bill.  It explains that when we are that desperate, probably in the 2020s, we’ll want to already have:

• substantially dropped below the business-as-usual emissions path
• started every major business planning for much deeper reductions
• goosed the cleantech venture and financing community
• put in place the entire framework for U.S. climate regulations
• accelerated many tens of gigawatts of different types of low-carbon energy into the marketplace
• put billions into developing advanced low-carbon technology
• started building out the smart, green grid of the 21st century
• trained and created millions of clean energy jobs
• negotiated a working international climate regime
• brought China into the process

Waxman-Markey, had it become the law of the land, would have achieved all of those vital goals.  And that’s why I strongly supported it, even though its 2020 target and use of offsets meant that it was, from a purely scientific perspective, unsatisfactory.

The Senate bill will no doubt be weaker than the House bill, but my criteria remain the same.  There is one other criterion that many people, including me, feel is important:  Does the bill finally start shutting down the grandfathered coal plants — the dirtiest of the dirty? The answer to that question for the House bill was “Hell yes.”  But what about the Senate bill?  The answer to that question will be the focus of Part 2.

Shortbread is marked by its fine, crumbly and sometimes delicate texture, as well as its buttery flavor. They’re primarily made with butter and flour, and although they’re often served as dessert with coffee or tea, most shortbreads don’t have a lot of sugar in them. This means that they’re easily adapted into more savory applications, like this parmesan cheese-infused variation.

This shortbread comes together very quickly and makes a really nice homemade appetizer to put out with some wine. You can make it by hand, but it is easiest to put it together in the food processor. Simply add your flour, parmesan, spices and butter, then pulse everything together before pressing the mixture into a pan and baking it until golden. The spices I added in are the same ones that I might add to a batch of homemade macaroni and cheese – garlic, chipotle pepper (cayenne will work well, too) and mustard – since they go so well with cheese. They’re subtle and just give these shortbreads a little bit of dimension.

When baked, these are tender and slightly crumbly, and they’re much less crisp than a cracker because they are quick a bit thicker than your average cracker would be. They have a great flavor and are quite addictive, so it’s a good thing that this recipe makes quite a big batch. These are best when they’re fresh and eaten the day they’re made, but you can store them in an airtight container. If you need to crisp them up after a day or two, simply put them on a baking sheet and pop them into a 350F oven for 5-8 minutes and you’ll be all set.

(more…)

2011 Scion tC

After waiting forever to get new products, Scion finally received some attention at the 2010 New York Auto Show. The 2011 Scion tC will go on sale in dealerships later this fall while the Scion iQ will go on sale in early 2011.

“The all-new tC features styling that is both refined and aggressive, appealing to a sports coupe owner who wants to make a bold statement,” Hollis said. “The tC has had the youngest median age buyer in the industry, and with more power, superior driving dynamics, and increased fuel efficiency, that should remain the case with the new tC as well.”

According to a report by Inside Line Scion is also working on a convertible version of the Scion tC for 2012. If the car makes it into production, it would not only be the first Scion convertible, but will also be the only convertible sold at Toyota/Scion dealers.

The Scion tC convertible is expected to share the coupe’s 2.5L 4-cylinder engine making 180-hp mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic.

2011 Scion tC:

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Inside Line

WASHINGTON—President Obama on Wednesday tapped a Chicago federal prosecutor, Edmond E. Chang, for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

“Edmond Chang is an excellent candidate,” said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who as senior senator from the state established a bipartisan screening judicial panel to evaluate potential judges.

“Throughout his career, Chang has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to public service, and if confirmed will become the first Asian-American federal judge in Illinois. I was honored to recommend his name to President Obama. His extensive experience and distinguished record will be an asset to the Northern District of Illinois’ bench,” Durbin said.

Chang is now Chief of Appeals for the the U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Division. The Northwestern Law School graduate earlier was an associate in the Chicago office of Sidley Austin.

from the White House…

Edmond E. Chang: Nominee for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Edmond E. Chang is an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Chicago office, where he has represented the government in criminal cases at the trial and appellate levels since 1999. Since 2005, he has served as Chief of Appeals for the Criminal Division, and he previously served as Deputy Chief of the General Crimes section. From 1997 to 1999, he was an associate in the Chicago office of Sidley Austin LLP, where he practiced in labor and employment litigation. After law school, Chang was a law clerk to the Honorable James L. Ryan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and then for the Honorable Marvin E. Aspen of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Since 1996, he has served as an adjunct professor of law at Northwestern University School of Law teaching civil rights litigation. Chang received his B.S.E. in Aerospace Engineering (cum laude) in 1991 from the University of Michigan, and his J.D. (cum laude) in 1994 from Northwestern University School of Law.

##

from Sen. Dick Durbin……

April 21, 2010

DURBIN: WHITE HOUSE NOMINATES CHANG TO FILL FEDERAL JUDGESHIP IN NORTHERN DISTRICT

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that President Obama has nominated Edmond Chang for a federal judgeship on the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois. Chang is the third individual to be nominated to fill one of five pending vacancies in the Northern District. Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved the President’s first two nominations: Sharon Coleman and Gary Feinerman. Those nominations will now proceed to a vote by the full Senate.

“Edmond Chang is an excellent candidate,” said Durbin. “Throughout his career, Chang has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to public service, and if confirmed will become the first Asian-American federal judge in Illinois. I was honored to recommend his name to President Obama. His extensive experience and distinguished record will be an asset to the Northern District of Illinois’ bench.”

Chang has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois since 1999, and he is currently the chief of appeals. He previously worked as an associate at Sidley Austin in Chicago, and as a judicial law clerk to Judge Marvin Aspen in the Northern District of Illinois and Judge James Ryan on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. He received a Star of Distinction award from the Chicago Crime Commission. He has served as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University law school, where he graduated with honors and served on the law review.

In April of last year, Durbin established three bipartisan screening committees to assist in selecting Federal District Court Judges, U.S. Attorneys, and U.S. Marshals for Illinois. The screening committees were comprised of 22 distinguished Illinoisans drawn from various aspects of the legal profession and include former judges, prominent litigators, law professors, bar association leaders, former prosecutors and defenders. Former federal judge and Illinois Congressman Abner Mikva chaired the Northern District Screening Panel.

Members of the screening committees met throughout the spring and early summer, reviewing applications and references, and conducting interviews. The screening committees recommended the names of several individuals for each vacancy. Durbin reviewed the screening committees’ recommendations, conducted interviews of finalists, and last fall, in consultation with members of the Illinois Congressional delegation, submitted the names of seven individuals to the President, who made the final decision on today’s nominee.

Once the President submits a nomination to the U.S. Senate, it will be reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which Senator Durbin is a member and the nominee will ultimately receive a vote in the committee. If approved by the Judiciary Committee, the nominee will then receive a vote by the full Senate.

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The closest I've ever gotten to the Delta is a map. Until last week. While I've immersed myself in the intricacies of the Delta water policy—nothing compares to a visit to the Delta's labyrinth of islands.

Last week I stood on the Delta's dirt levees, and looked down at farms below sea level. I saw red-winged black birds and blue herons. I drove through small towns like Isleton and big suburban developments like Rio Vista. I waited for drawbridges and walked out into the wetlands restoration site at Twitchell Island. I learned about The Nature Conservancy's corn farm on Staten Island that provides habitat to the endangered Sandhill Crane. I passed a farmworker driving a pesticide truck in a hazmat suit and cows grazing next to giant windmills.

I learned that the Delta is more than just the hub of water controversy—more than just a map in my office. It's a one-of-a-kind gem. While I may be back at my computer, I'm re-invigorated to protect this special place.

I look forward to my next visit (hopefully next time, by boat). Check out the photo essay above by my talented colleague, and Delta tour partner, Mathew Grimm.

Director Saam Farahmand, who has worked with the likes of Janet Jackson, These New Puritans, Hercules & Love Affair, and Cheryl Cole has created an ingenious new video for the xx’s track “Islands”. At first glance the video might seem repetitive, but every take depicts the subtle art of the breakup via the dancers movements, as the band sits by watching the drama unfold. Check the video after the jump.

Source: MTVU

Sony Ericsson recently announced that William ‘Bill’ A Glaser, Jr, former Sony Corporation Vice President and Head of Sony Group Risk Office, has joined Sony Ericsson and is appointed Chief Financial Officer effective today. In his new role Bill Glaser will succeed Ulf Lilja, who will return to Ericsson on 31 July. Bill Glaser will report to Sony Ericsson President Bert Nordberg, and he will be based at the company’s global corporate offices in London as well as its offices in Lund, Sweden.

Bill Glaser has over twenty years of experience working in Sony’s diverse electronics, game and entertainment businesses in the US, UK and Japan. In the last ten years he has held senior positions at Sony in Japan and in the US. As Vice President and Head of the Sony Group Risk Office for Sony Corporation since 2006, Bill Glaser was responsible for developing and introducing Sony’s global enterprise risk management programme. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller for Sony Electronics, Sony’s US subsidiary responsible for electronics and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. He began his career at Price Waterhouse in the US, where he became a Certified Public Accountant.

Bert Nordberg, President, Sony Ericsson, said, “Ulf Lilja joined Sony Ericsson as Chief Financial Officer in 2005 and has witnessed many changes to both the industry and our company over the five years. I wish to thank Ulf for his longstanding contribution to Sony Ericsson and wish him well in the future.” He added, “Bill Glaser joins Sony Ericsson at an important time in our industry. The convergence of technologies across home and mobile devices, coupled with the increasing importance of understanding consumer insight, is something that he has already experienced across Sony’s diverse businesses. We look forward to welcoming him to Sony Ericsson.”

Commenting on today’s announcement, Bill Glaser said, “I am very pleased to be joining Sony Ericsson during these very exciting times for both the mobile handset industry and the company itself. Over the past few months Sony Ericsson has announced one of its strongest product portfolios ever, which has created buzz in the industry. I look forward to applying the experience I have gained at Sony and contributing to Sony Ericsson’s next phase of growth.”

A native of the US, Bill Glaser has a Bachelors of Science Degree in Business and Economics and a Masters of Science Degree in Management Sciences from Lehigh University, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In addition to postings in the US, UK and Japan, he has lived in Brazil and Belgium. Bill Glaser is 47 years old.

What do we have to show after 40 years?

Editor, The Times:

On April 22, 1970, I participated in Earth Day. The rally on the UW campus was exhilarating —especially for those of us who, for a few years, had been agitating for more care of our environments.

Looking back, we see that much of what we were doing then has become institutionalized, in the hands of large conservation organizations (we belong to many of them) and their effectiveness is a challenge to government and industry alike. But what is missing is the sense of personal involvement and this is felt keenly.

A year or two earlier, I walked into the University District office of the Sierra Club and asked where to start. Brock Evans, then the local representative, told me that I should just pick something. I started working on the confirmation hearings of Walter Hickle, former governor of Alaska and secretary of the interior. That led to subsequent involvement in the North Cascades National Park and Alpine Lakes Wilderness, then to working for the Washington Environmental Council to rationalize the number and location of nuclear power plants in the Pacific Northwest. There were many other issues, but little or no personal effort as we wrote checks and e-mail messages instead of letters and testimony.

Today, despite our successes, we confront a global ecosystem that is badly destabilized, a Puget Sound ecosystem where whales feast on plastics, clothing, rope and other junk, a world with fewer amphibians, songbirds and many species whose habitat is diminishing rapidly or has already evaporated while our own species grows exponentially. I wonder what we would call failure if this is the measure of our success.

Through it all I feel a personal sense of disengagement and loss and I do not know what I can do to ease it. I want to start all over again.

— Earl J. Bell, UW Professor Emeritus, Seattle

Time to reflect on what we’ve done to the planet

When the first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970, the air was festive —and cleaner, too. The population of 3.7 billion has nearly doubled since and terms virtually unknown then now define our age: tipping points, peak oil and climate change.

Fortunately, something else has grown in these four decades: Tremendous knowledge not only of how ecosystems have deteriorated worldwide, but also of their tremendous restorative capacities on which humans could build.

Symbols and celebrations such as the 20th anniversary of Earth Day are times to reflect and reconnect. What would happen if the entire week of April 18-24 was designated as “Earth Days,” as Community Educational Television — KCET in California — has done, full with activities that acknowledge the vital and ethical connections we all have with Earth.

Everyone could encourage Earth Day-related activities in places of learning throughout our community —classrooms and homes, as well as outdoors. The synergies and hope that emerge could in turn move us closer to living as if every day were Earth Day.

— James Loucky, Bellingham

Americans’ actions ironic twist to Earth Day founding

Earth Day, which set off alarm bells in 1970, has now morphed from a wake-up call into a much ballyhooed occasion to go out and pick up litter. As if our lovely, little blue dot in the universe notices.

What Earth does notice is its atmosphere and oceans warming as we continue burning precious fossil fuels. Polar and glacial ice melts, oceans expand, threatening coastlines and small island countries. Deserts expand, too —water shortages already threaten millions of people.

Although Americans started Earth Day, we have strayed farthest from its original message. Per capita, we are still the biggest contributors to the planet’s climate fever, but we have ignored warnings from the world’s scientists and abdicated our leadership responsibilities.

If your mother were sick, wouldn’t you want to help her get well? We must convince Congress to stop polluting energy use and convert to renewable energy by increasing the price of carbon. Most straightforward is taxing the 2,000 coal-, oil- and gas-producing and -importing companies, and distributing this revenue to everyone to cover higher energy prices.

Sen. Maria Cantwell’s Clear Act comes closest to this model. Simpler still is the Carbon Fee and Dividend Act proposed by the Citizens Climate Lobby.

— Andrea Faste, Seattle

Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S

It was reported earlier this morning that Maserati is planning a competitor for the BMW 5-Series. According to AutoExpress, the model will be a direct competitor to the E63 AMG, BMW M5 and the upcoming S7 version of the Audi A7.

Technical specs are a bit scarce but it is said that the model will be an entry-level for Maserati with prices starting around €55,000 ($73,637 USD).

Click here to get prices on the 2010 Maserati GranTurismo.

Also in the works is the next-generation Quattroporte with “a completely new style, offering outstanding driving emotions and high-level quality.” The Maserati GranTurismo and GranTurismo Convertible (GranCabrio) will also continue.

– By: Kap Shah

Source: AutoExpress

Working as a legislative assistant, I’m most excited when issues overlap and I get to work closely with and learn from my colleagues. During the health care debate, I teamed up with Rebecca on the divisive issue concerning access to insurance for undocumented immigrants. In the fall, Liz partnered with Sam to address employment discrimination against women in Israel. Today, we face a compelling yet contentious crossover between the issue of gun control and DC voting rights.

April 16th was Emancipation Day in the District of Columbia, commemorating President Abraham Lincoln’s emancipation of approximately 3,100 slaves. In his statement acknowledging this important holiday, President Obama highlighted the plight of DC residents who are denied the right to a vote in Congress and concluded, “I urge Congress to finally pass legislation that provides DC residents with voting representation and to take steps to improve the Home Rule Charter.” These are encouraging words for the Reform Movement, which has played a vital role in the struggle for voting rights for more than a half century — within the very confines of our DC office, Civil Rights leaders drafted the seminal Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965!

The 2005 URJ resolution supporting DC voting rights quotes Rabbi Yitzhak in the Babylonian Talmud, who taught, “A ruler is not to be appointed until the community is first consulted” (B’rachot 55a). In the case of DC residents, that whole “consulting” piece is impaired. Though DC residents may vote for the President (this right was not granted to them until 1961 with the passage of the 23rd amendment!) and elect some local leadership, they do not have representation in the Senate and their delegate in the House of Representatives, Eleanor Holmes Norton, does not have a vote. Ironically, the very body in which DC residents do not have a voice, the US Congress, is granted exclusive jurisdiction over their local affairs by Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution.

Proponents of DC voting rights argue correctly that the close to 600,000 residents of the District, who fulfill all the responsibilities of citizenship by observing the rule of law, paying taxes, and serving in the armed forces, are denied their most basic right to Congressional representation. Despite more than two centuries with little progress in their fight for a legislative voice (the House and Senate approved a constitutional amendment in 1978 giving DC a House vote, but it died after failing to get ratification by three-fourths of the states), hope springs eternal.

Tension has been building up over the last few days in response to a press release published by Del. Norton on April 14th announcing that she expected the DC Voting Rights Act (H.R. 157) to reach the floor of the House of Representatives by this Thursday. On February 26, 2009, the Senate passed the DC House Voting Rights Act (S. 160) in a vote of 61-37 so a House vote is the next step toward finally passing this bill. Unfortunately for DC vote advocates, Minority Leader Steny Hoyer announced yesterday morning that lawmakers will not take up the legislation this week.

The DC Voting Rights Act, while enfranchising district residents, will come at a crippling cost if it passes in its current form. The gun lobby has unfairly hijacked the bill by refusing crucial support unless the district repeals restrictions on semiautomatic weapons, rolls back requirements for registering most guns and drops existing criminal penalties for owners of unregistered firearms. In others words, a congressional voice for DC residents means eliminating strict gun control laws.

Despite her objections to what she called the, “National Rifle Association-drafted gun bill to accompany the voting act,” Norton had decided to move forward due to a confluence of factors that make this the most opportune time to pass the bill, possibly for years to come. Strong reactions from gun control advocates, however, have now scuttled the prospects for a vote. Six of the thirteen members of the DC City Council, including the chairman, announced their opposition to any bill that would weaken gun control laws and the League of Women Voters and DC for Democracy also announced their opposition. Even more powerful, however, the families of four teenage victims of a tragic March 30th shooting in DC testified in front of the City Council and Del. Norton about their opposition to any weakening of gun control laws.

So for now it appears that the safety of DC residents from the threat of gun violence has won out over their enfranchisement in Congress. What do you think? To what extent should we be willing to compromise to secure long overdue voting rights? What price is too high? Of all the crossover issues we’ve faced this year, this is by far the most nuanced. Share your opinions by sending me an email.

Whales eating sweatpants and duct tape: a wake-up call

The story “Garbage in stomach of dead whale” [NWTuesday, April 20] should be a wake-up call for people.

Sadly, this is about the thousandth wake-up call that we need to stop throwing our junk into anywhere except the trash can. Imagine how much better it would be if you went to a beach and it was not covered in beer bottles and plastic bags. It would be so much better if we were able to keep our city and eventually our whole country clean.

Sorrowfully, we are far from this goal. In fact, we are so far away from it that whales are eating sweatpants and duct tape. If we could manage to clean up our city’s streets and beaches, it would not only be a better prettier place to live, but it would save the lives of the many animal species that live around Seattle.

— Cole Thomas, Seattle

Time to revive plastic bag fee

The American Chemistry Council, Exxon and other plastic manufacturers are the ones who spent $1.5 million dollars last summer defeating the measure on the Seattle ballot to charge a fee for plastic bags at the grocery store.

Facing more such bans, the plastic industry is now launching a program encouraging us to recycle our plastic bags. While recycling is a good thing, it does not solve the problem.

We use more than 350 million plastic bags a year in Seattle alone. Around the country, charging a fee has been proven to reduce the use of plastic bags by 85 percent or more almost overnight. It is those same plastic bags that end up on our streets, in our waterways and in whales’ stomachs, despite recycling efforts.

It makes me angry that we think our plastic bags are more important than the health of the ocean and marine life. I urge the City Council and city governments everywhere in Washington to follow the lead of Edmonds and take this issue up again.

— Sally Wolf, Seattle